Chronos, Kairos, Christos II


Book Description

Christian theologian and educator Ray Summers (Baylor University) influenced the lives of more than one generation of students, many of whom are now teachers, ministers, and missionaries. This collection of essays in honor of Mr. Summers focuses on his many interests--which are also concerns of many people today--liberty of conscience, civil religion, warfare, the New Testament (especially the Gospels) and other topics.




Rhetoric and Kairos


Book Description

This collection offers the first comprehensive discussion of the history, theory, and pedagogical applications of kairos, a seminal and recently revised concept of classical rhetoric. Augusto Rostagni, James L. Kinneavy, Richard Leo Enos, John Poulakos, and John E. Smith are among the international list of scholars who explore the Homeric and literary origins of kairos, the technologies of time-keeping in antiquity, the role of "right-timing" in Hippocratic medicine, the improvisations of Gorgias, as well as the uses of kairos in Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and the New Testament. Broad in its scope, the book also examines the distinctive philosophies of time reflected in Renaissance Humanism, Nineteenth-Century American Transcendentalism, Oriental art and ritual, and the application of kairos to contemporary philosophy, ethics, literary criticism, rhetorical theory, and composition pedagogy.




Acts: An Exegetical Commentary : Volume 2


Book Description

Highly respected New Testament scholar Craig Keener is known for his meticulous and comprehensive research. This commentary on Acts, his magnum opus, may be the largest and most thoroughly documented Acts commentary available. Useful not only for the study of Acts but also early Christianity, this work sets Acts in its first-century context. In this volume, the second of four, Keener continues his detailed exegesis of Acts, utilizing an unparalleled range of ancient sources and offering a wealth of fresh insights. This magisterial commentary will be an invaluable resource for New Testament professors and students, pastors, Acts scholars, and libraries.







Nativity: the Christmas Story, Which You Have Never Heard Before


Book Description

Sometimes reading like a historical novel, or a forensics detective story, a melodrama, or a scientific adventure, Nativity takes the reader on a fast, awesome ride of discovery into the real history and real people behind the birth of Christ. Nativity is the ideal reference for pastors, students, and laymen, combining scholarly depth and reliability in a popular writing style easily accessible to all with references for independent study. New elements of meaning and relevance to the Nativity Scientific evidence virgin births occur as often as identical twins but Jesus was one of a kind The life and death drama behind Joseph and Mary rarely told The real events of Bethlehem and Nazareth Herod amazing genius whose architecture excelled Rome, and kept his murdered wife in a jar of honey! Was Jesus incarnated from the time of the Fall? Is the Christmas tree a pagan idol or a biblical image of the Tree of Life? While vigorously defending the traditional faith, Richard Racy gives new insights and new theological perspectives guaranteed to inform and provoke while entertaining in a major new work on the birth of Jesus Christ. A revealing and thought-provoking new book that truly tells us the Christmas story, which we have never heard before!




The Lion Led the Way


Book Description

Was there a meaningful stellar sign over Bethlehem? What did it look like to someone looking up at the night sky? Did wise men really come from the East seeking Israel’s Messiah sometime after the birth of Jesus? The biblical account of the wise men and the star that announced the coming of the Messiah of Israel has inspired and puzzled people for two millennia. Important aspects of Babylonian astronomy seem to be involved in understanding the star’s appearing. But in addition, The Lion Led the Way also explores the men and events from a profoundly Jewish perspective. The traditional Jewish names of stars and planets, Jewish symbols, as well as Jewish dates, all seem to be keys to unlocking the mystery of the famous star. The star of Bethlehem was not the brightest of the heavenly lights, nor was it the most spectacular starry manifestation of all time. However, it was part of the most meaningful set of celestial events in human history. The God of Israel is surprising. His ways are not our ways; his thoughts are not our thoughts. The star gives us a concrete example of God’s intervention in the universe. Book website: www.star-of-bethlehem.info




MUL.BABBAR: The Messiah’s Star


Book Description

Was there a star announcing the coming of the Jewish Messiah at the end of the first millennium BC? Did "wise men" come from the east seeking the newly born king of the Jews? How can one be sure? MUL.BABBAR: The Messiah’s Star approaches the “Star of Bethlehem” from a Jewish and Babylonian perspective. Babylonian astronomy and royal symbolism seem to give clues about the star. However, the royal celestial signs related to the coming of the Messiah are also connected directly to Judaism and the Bible. The Messiah's star announced the coming of a great king, The Greatest of Kings, destined to rule the world. This book is an updated, improved, and expanded version of The Lion Led the Way by the same author.




Matthew


Book Description

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.




For the Freedom of Zion


Book Description

A definitive account of the great revolt of Jews against Rome and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple “A lucid yet terrifying account of the 'Jewish War'—the uprising of the Jews in 66 CE, and the Roman empire’s savage response, in a story that stretches from Rome to Jerusalem.”—John Ma, Columbia University This deeply researched and insightful book examines the causes, course, and historical significance of the Jews’ failed revolt against Rome from 66 to 74 CE, including the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Based on a comprehensive study of all the evidence and new statistical data, Guy Rogers argues that the Jewish rebels fought for their religious and political freedom and lost due to military mistakes. Rogers contends that while the Romans won the war, they lost the peace. When the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem Temple, they thought that they had defeated the God of Israel and eliminated Jews as a strategic threat to their rule. Instead, they ensured the Jews’ ultimate victory. After their defeat Jews turned to the written words of their God, and following those words led the Jews to recover their freedom in the promised land. The war's tragic outcome still shapes the worldview of billions of people today.




Dating the Passion


Book Description

Drawing on computistical and astronomical sources from late antiquity to the Renaissance, this book demonstrates how pre-modern Christian attempts to determine the principal dates of the life of Jesus played an essential role in the development of historical chronology.